198 WINE. 



If we now inquire how the meteorological c rcumstances of each 

 of these five years influenced the production of our wine, we see at 

 once that the mean temperature of the days which make up the 

 period of the cultivation of the wine has a perceptible influence. 

 The temperature of the summer was 17.3" C. (63.1° Fahr.) of the 

 year which yielded the strongest wine, and only 14.7° C. (58.4° 

 Fahr.) in 1833, the wine of which was scarcely drinkable. 



A hot summer is naturally favorable to the vine : the mean heal 

 of 18*33 did not exceed 17^° C. (63.^° Fahr. ;) with the exception o^ 

 this year, which must be regarded as one of the very worst, th^ 

 three favorable summers, 1834, 35, and 36, show a mean tempera- 

 ture of about 20" C. (68° Fahr.) It is not, however, with the warm- 

 est summer that we find the strongest wine to correspond. Besides 

 the sustained heat, which is necessary during the whole year's 

 growth of the vine, it would appear that a mild autumn was a con- 

 dition necessary to the perfect ripening ot'the grapes : this is one of 

 the essential conditions. We see, in fact, that in 1834, the months 

 of September and October presented the extraordinary temperature 

 of 17° C, (62.6° Fahr.,) while in 1833, the temperature of the same 

 months did not rise higher than 11.4° C. (51.5° Fahr.) I shall 

 here add, that the year 1811, so remarkable over Europe for the 

 quantity and the excellence of its wines, was distinguished by the 

 high temperature of the early part of its autumn ; we find, in fact, 

 from the excellent series of observations with which M. Ilerren- 

 schneider has presented Alsace, that in this year, af'ter a sunmier the 

 mean temperature of which was 19.6" C. (67.8° Fahr.,) the heat of 

 the months of September and October was maintained at 15° C. (59° 

 Fahr.,) the usual temperature of the months of September and 

 Octol)er not being higher tiian about 11.5° C. (5*2.7° Fahr.) 



If we deduct from these observations the years 1833 and 1837, 

 which were decidedly bad, it seems that wo must conclude that me- 

 teorological influences have a greater effect upon the quality of 

 wines, than upon the whole quantity of alcohol formed ; thus, al- 

 though the wine of 1836 was very inferior to that of 1834, it actual- 

 ly yielded a larger proportion of alcobol from the acre. 



in Alsace, in order that a vear may be favoraltle to the vine, the 

 lem|)erature of those months during which the i)lant is alive nuist 

 be sensibly superior to the mean : a fact which appears from M. 

 Herrensc'hneider's long series of observations. In a climate where 

 the vine requires such a condition to succeed, it is oi>vious that its 

 cultivation can never be advantageous ; and this, in fact, is the case • 

 the cultivation of the wine would, inceed, be altogether ruinous, were 

 it not for the circumstance that t -3 value of wine increased in a 

 nuich greater ratio than its quality, so that one good year often in- 

 demnifies the grower for many bad years. Another ciinsideration 

 is this, that the vine, like the olive, grows and thrives in situations 

 where it would be diflicult to put any thing else. 



The produce of a vineyard also (le[)en(ls upon its age ; and it 

 would be curious to examine the progressive increase of the quanti- 

 ty of wine yielded. This information I am able to give in connec- 



